Mark;

This is interesting data on your engine comparisions.  I would be
careful about assuming what the TIICO engine really is and thus what its
power is.  I think you're assuming it's a Golf/Jetta IV engine (aka the
ABA block).  I don't think this is true;  I think it's an over-bored
1.8l block - hence the 1.8l stamping in the casting.  The ABA is taller
than the old 1.8 and height is everything with this conversion.  VW
rates the ABA at 115HP with the crossflow head and Motronic FI but VW
tuners get a good 140HP or so out of it when they use the old GTI 8v
head, a g-grind cam, higher compression (etc, etc) in A1 (Rabbit, Jetta,
etc) upgrades.

I would guess the TIICO is a unique block that is tweaked to get the
power where a Vanagon needs it.  Which gets me into my other observation
about your data:  be careful about doing a HP to HP comparison.  Weight
and torque curve are very important especially in a Vanagon.

Finally the price on a TIICO is $3700 - not $7000.

I own an ABA, a 1.8l, and soon a TIICO, so I'll definitely have more to
say about these block differences when I've gotten my hands dirty.  I
think the Subaru can definitely offer more HP than the TIICO, and the
waterboxer does get underrated around here, but VW's I-4 engines are
indistructible and getting one of those in a Vanagon "the way VW would
have done it" is also undervalued.  Bosch's Motronic is not being given
the credit it deserves either:  it's a fabulous FI system.  My opinion
on the Tiico is that the combination of benefits makes it a superior
choice.

Damian